The ultimate "MTV Unplugged" playlist

Alejandro Sanz put out his first album all the way back in 1989 and remains a permanent fixture in the Latin pop music firmament even to this day. Sanz wasn't merely a great vocalist and performer either: He was also a great songwriter and one who was more than happy to share his talent with others. In 1998, Malú's debut album opened with "Aprendiz", a song written by Sanz that became an easy introductory hit for her, and on his 2001 taping of "MTV Unplugged", Sanz got to take it back and give it his own spin. Given that Malú's rendition was designed for radio play with its hot beats and sleek production, it's great to hear it in stripped-down format here, Sanz's raspy growl floating over the verses with a deep, learned tone that gives the song a new gravitas that we didn't know was originally there.

Katy Perry's "MTV Unplugged" EP arrived shortly after the arrival of her debut album, "One of the Boy," and featured what-you'd-expect renditions of hits like "I Kissed a Girl" and "Waking Up in Vegas," showing she could belt out her signature songs but wasn't necessarily great at reinventing them. What truly surprised, however, was her choice for a cover song: "Hackensack" by Fountains of Wayne. A strolling, ambling mid-tempo number with literate pop culture references and a country-dipped sense of longing, the number wasn't only perfectly rendered (with string sections and sweet backing vocals), but it also provided great insight into Perry's own musical tastes and interests beyond her usual Top 40 pop fantasies, proving that perhaps there really was a genuine artist under all that gloss and sheen.

Björk went all out for her taping of "MTV Unplugged," bringing in a litany of musicians to play the songs from her "Debut" album and using virtually none of the instruments that were used to record it. Instead of drum machines and sleek synths, Björk instead assembled a group who played mallet percussion, harpsichords, trumpets and too many other instruments to name in one go. While all of her renditions are compelling beyond words, her take on hit single "Violently Happy" opens with harmonic wine glass tones and then leans into skittering live drums, funkified upright bass and other elements to transform one of her signature numbers into a new, unknown form. Some artists simply go quiet for "MTV Unplugged," but Björk remade her discography into compelling new shapes throughout a single evening.

While the Korn of the mid-2000s wasn't as commercially successful as the version of the band that rode the nu-metal wave at the end of the '90s, Jonathan Davis and Co. still had command of a sizable audience during this time, well before they shed a good amount of fans with their numerous forays into dubstep. Thus, "MTV Unplugged" made sense for them, showing a new side to their sound while also bringing in contemporaries (like Amy Lee of Evanescence) and their heroes (The Cure, because of course). Yet the band's surprisingly understated rendition of Radiohead's "Creep" was surprising. With a sweet falsetto hit by Davis and careful use of keys and synth tones, the group managed to take an early sadboy staple of a rock song and reappropriate it for its own emotional needs. In an evening full of good-enough renditions of their back catalog, "Creep" radiated a special energy that the band has only managed to replicate a few times since.

To many, "Mystery of Iniquity" is simply known as the song Kanye wanted to sample on his early hit "All Falls Down." Yet within the context of Lauryn Hill's overhyped new release after years away from the spotlight, it is the undisputed highlight of her album "MTV Unplugged No. 2.0." Hating the downsides that the worldwide spotlight brought upon her, Hill decided to switch up her style, and using every drop of artistic capital she had, Hill tackled a litany of brand-new songs on the acoustic guitar -— an instrument she was just starting to learn. The issue critics had was that Hill's new material was meandering and unfocused, and her inclusion of her spoken-to-the-audience "Interludes" in the double-CD physical release meant we all had to suffer through Hill taking about her self for long stretches of time, one time even surpassing a full 12 minutes. Yet "Mystery of Iniquity", a half-sung, half-rapped diatribe against the criminal justice system, shows sparks of the talent and passion that she once doled out so readily.

While Hole's "MTV Unplugged" set is somewhat lost to time (having never been physically released save for bootlegs), it's easy to gloss over just how fascinating it was, recorded at the top of 1995 as the group was riding high off the success of their 1994 sophomore release, "Live Through This." While the band is tight and Courtney Love remains an ever-impassioned vocalist, their deep-cut presentation of her husband Kurt Cobain's song "You Know You're Right" (presented on the show's graphics card as "You've Got No Right") was the first we ever heard the number, and while not as tightly wound as the box set single version released in 2002 by Nirvana proper, Hole's rendition remains fiery, dirty and compelling all on its own merits.

To some, "Bob Dylan: Unplugged" may seem a bit redundant, but that's nothing compared to when the rebooted "MTV Unplugged 2.0" offered an unplugged set to already-unplugged artist Dashboard Confessional — but that's beside the point. Lost in his critically dismissed mid-'90s delirium, Bob Dylan's "Unplugged" is a fairly hit or miss affair outside of his semi-lost classic "John Brown." With rapid-fire verses and some genuine fun in his voice, this Dylan number has appeared on rare occasions, like on the copyright-beating limited-release collections as well as "Live at the Gaslight 1962," which was released in 2005. For a decade, this "Unplugged" rendition was the only version of the legendary number that fans could get, and even now it's still pretty close to the definitive take to our ears.

German rockers Scorpions have been releasing music since the early '70s but still are best known for their peak hair metal stadium anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane." While other songs like "Wind of Change" and "Still Loving You" are celebrated, the group's longevity and deep catalog made it seem like their live set would be more "for the fans" than for mass consumption — and even if that's true, boy did the fans get a lot out of it. Released as a full double-disc experience, the group tears through its catalog with acoustic abandon, and the live audience (recorded in Athens) is more than happy to chant along to the big hits. But honestly, it's guitarist Matthias Jabs' solo turn on the five-minute "Delicate Dance" that we most remember, absolutely setting his six strings ablaze in a grooving jam that was so fresh and new that it caught the audience off guard. Even all these decades later, these Scorpions still have sting in them.

"Can we turn all the microphones off?" Tony Bennett asks at the start of "Fly Me to the Moon," one of his signature numbers delivered during his "MTV Unplugged" set (which, lovely as it is, still inexplicably won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1995). You can still hear the legend perfectly fine away from the studio mics, but it's easy for younger fans to forget that in his prime, Bennett was an absolute vocal powerhouse. Even in 1994, the control he had over his instrument was nothing short of breathtaking. Barely lasting two minutes, the strains, falls, swoops and runs he puts his register through on this Bart Howard standard make a convincing case for Bennett to be hailed as one of greatest singers of whatever generation you're recording him in.

Make no mistake: While KISS does have some ballads, this is a rock group first and foremost, so even in swapping out the band's electrics for acoustics, its "MTV Unplugged" is no quiet affair. The drumming is loud, the rhythms are propulsive and the energy is damn near relentless. Yes, the group performs "Beth," but for a taping where the original lineup featuring Peter Criss and Ace Frehley finally came together after years of animosity, our hearts belong to the then-recent Gene Simmons number "Domino," which features flares of blues-rock, ambling guitar lines and a genuine sense of camaraderie that simply cannot be mistaken as anything other than fantastic chemistry between the now-reunited members.

If the Nicolas Cage/Meg Ryan movie "City of Angels" is remembered for anything, it's for the soundtrack. While The Goo Goo Dolls planet-swallowing hit "Iris" dominated airwaves for an unbelievably long period of time, it was this same set that also gave us one of Alanis Morissette's moodiest numbers in the form of "Uninvited," and, amazingly, it was also the lead single for "City of Angels." Here, for her "MTV Unplugged" taping, she veers from drastic reinventions ("You Oughta Know") to thoughtful covers ("King of Pain" by The Police), and an arguably never-better take on "Uninvited," with a live string section and light tabla use giving a great sense of gravitas to the already-dramatic number. So successful this gambit was, Morissette would later release an all-acoustic rendition of her iconic record, "Jagged Little Pill," in 2005.

Café Tacvba are legends of the Latin alternative rock scene, and their first go-round on "MTV Unplugged" happened in 1995, a mere two albums into their career. They nailed their set, but when it came time to record another one in 2019, they pulled out all the stops, expanding their set list and bringing in guests like longtime producer and friend Gustavo Santaolalla and, on "El Outsider," a surprise appearance from David Byrne of all people. The playful interplay between him and vocalist Rubén Isaac Albarrán Ortega is infectious, as even if Byrne isn't always nailing every note, he's having a lot of fun. The duo's energy can be felt even through your earbuds, so contagious and enveloping that it almost makes you think you're actually there at the taping.

When you're one of the biggest alternative rock bands in the world, of course you're going to swing by "MTV Unplugged." Heck, you might even do it twice. Sure, there was a whole decade between appearances (they stopped by in both 1991 and 2001), but of the two sets, we prefer the more energetic, frayed 1991 set, as their 2001 set arrived right in the middle of their late-period identity crisis. On that early recording, hearing the group rip through the "Document" staple "Disturbance At The Heron House" is a joy, as not only did the group swap out the electrics for acoustics, but Michael Stipe sings down a whole octave from the original recording, adding a new layer to one of the band's deep bench of album-cut classics.

To this day, Alice in Chains' "MTV Unplugged" set remains a document of much debate, as on one hand, fans were happy to see them performing together, having canceled tours and secluding themselves in the studio due to Layne Staley's heroin addiction. However, this lack of touring meant that the Alice in Chains we meet during "MTV Unplugged" isn't always performing at their best capacity, and while the group vocals are always a thrill to hear, Staley's rasp sometimes sounds as good as the studio versions ("Down in a Hole") and is sometimes strained ("Heaven Beside You"). Yet hearing their legendary 1992 single "Would?" in this raw, intimate format is nothing short of striking. The band is fully in sync, and new bassist Mike Inez's rumbling tones throughout still give the number a sense of menace that only make the choruses hit all the stronger.

Anyone who's seen Florence Welch live knows the power of her performances, and even for something like "MTV Unplugged," she doesn't hold back one bit, maintaining her vocal quality and power song after song, refusing to phone it in. This strength is documented no better than on her cut from sophomore album, "Ceremonials," called "What the Water Gave Me." It has a slow rising action but builds up to a striking climax, and after the four-minute mark, Welch's octaves and runs are truly remarkable to hear, doubly so given she had already performed eight other songs by this point. Legendary stuff.

For a lot of Western audiences, the Norteño genre gets a lot of derision for being repetitive, but its influence remains undeniable. It's for this reason that when it came time for the biggest band of the genre to turn out a performance for "MTV Unplugged," it was done with the help of a lot of friends. Paulina Rubio appears on a lovely string-laden version of "Golpes en el Corazón" (but the audience is chanting along before she even hits the stage), Juanes appears on "La Jaula de Oro", Calle 13 shows up for "América", and best of all, Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha arrives on "Somos Más Americanos" in a goofy side-appearance that the band telegraphs by playing the bassline to "Killing in the Name" right at the top of song. Not your average banda by any means.

If we're being completely honest, some artists show up on "MTV Unplugged" and don't do much with the concept, bringing in a full band to do their thing while maybe an acoustic guitar is slipped in just a few times. George Michael is one of those people, as renditions of classics like "You Have Been Loved" sound barely distinguishable from the studio originals, rife with synth string sections and lightl -tapped drum sets. His polished take on "Father Figure," however, is the kind of understated vibe we wanted from Michael all along. The acoustic guitars chime and glisten and the string sections work their magic, all while Michael gives us a mannered and enjoyable performance that is almost worth the price of admission alone.

With two massive hit albums under her diamond-studded belt, some people began thinking that without big tours behind her, this hot new young vocalist named Mariah Carey was more of a studio artist than one who could hold her own live. Her short "MTV Unplugged" set was designed to address those critics specifically, and unsurprisingly she rose to the occasion (even though she admits "I'm not used to doing this" before launching into "Can't Let Go"). All of her songs are beautifully rendered (if even a bit too embellished by the full band at times), but the showstopper, without question, was her take on The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There." Tender yet forceful, powerful and sweet all at the same time, Carey's "I'll Be There" instantly silenced her haters and let the world know that whether she's in the studio or in front of a live audience, her multi-octave vocal range is a force to be reckoned with.

If you could boil down the cultural power of "MTV Unplugged" into one single album, you're basically going to have a debate between either Nirvana's legendary swan song or the Diamond-selling career comeback that was Eric Clapton's set. With his career in a bit of a decline, "Unplugged" allowed Clapton to reinvent his catalog with a mellow cool-dad flair, which is why his toned down (and honestly, quite lovely) rendering of Derek & the Dominos "Layla" was a big single. Yet the emotional centerpiece is and always will be "Tears in Heaven," the song written for his deceased son Conor. Although rumor has always said that Clapton premiered it here (that's not true: a studio version showed up on the soundtrack for the film "Rush"), there's not a dry eye in the room after a playthrough of this aching, tender number. Lightly plucked tones, that immortal chord progression, his restrained vocals — it's a genuine masterpiece, and it soon revitalized all of Clapton's commercial and critical goodwill, later winning the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Amazingly, Maxwell recorded his "MTV Unplugged" special having put out only one album, but he used his time to show the depth of his artistry and talent. This was solidified by his choice of covers, which included a fascinating reworking of Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" (here titled "Gotta Get: Closer") and especially a falsetto-driven, soulful take of Kate Bush's landmark song "This Woman's Work." While Maxwell has the benefit of a full band helping round out the song's presentation, his voice is still the star of the show (yes, he's hitting those opening falsettos easily), and his runs right before the four-minute mark proved that even at his young age, Maxwell had a bright future in front of him.

Essentially this was Natalie Merchant's final performance before leaving the band to seek a solo career, and "MTV Unplugged" solidified the alternative group's legacy and remains its best-selling album to this day. While the band was in fine form during the night, it was these New York rockers' take on the legendary Patti Smith number "Because the Night" that remains their most well-known moment in the spotlight, even beating all of their other singles to get their highest-ever ranking on the Billboard Hot 100 (standing just outside the top 10 at No. 11). With a powerful piano line, well-placed violins and Merchant's undeniable voice, 10,000 Maniacs — who gladly submitted and became one of the first episodes of "MTV Unplugged" ever recorded — probably wasn't expecting this one-off performance to become its calling card, but fate has a funny way of working things out.

As part of the revived "MTV Unplugged 2.0" rebranding efforts, older artists in need of a comeback, like Tony Bennett and Eric Clapton, were swapped out for younger, hipper acts like Lauryn Hill and Dashboard Confessional. Yet when Jay-Z stepped up to the plate for his turn on the barstool, he made sure he was going to come in fully prepared, which is why he got The Roots to be his backing band for the session. Less "Jay-Z Unplugged" and more "Jay-Z in Concert," the man nonetheless radiates charisma in whatever environment he's in. In tackling his classic single, "Can't Knock the Hustle," he brings in the original guest vocalist Mary J. Blige to sing the hook — and their chemistry is electric. (We could listen to her do ad-libs all day). The interpolation of her own "Family Affair" at the end? The icing on the cake.

Recorded in 1992 (but not receiving an official album release until, amazingly, 2019), Pearl Jam's "MTV Unplugged" session has gone down as one of the most treasured of the series, even if the band, reportedly having come off a tour the night before and given less than a day to rehearse, wishes it could do things differently. Its landmark debut record, "Ten," was still picking up steam, but it's here that arguably its most treasured song, "Black," is given a powerhouse rendering, with Eddie Vedder's tired-to-the-point-of-perfection vocals bringing it home. While the band famously refused to release the studio version as a single (despite the label's insistence), some fans to this day argue whether the recorded version or the "MTV Unplugged" version is better. It's the best kind of argument: the kind that's so good we almost never wish for it to be resolved.

Recorded and released right before her English language breakthrough with 2001's "Laundry Service," Shakira's high-energy "MTV Unplugged" set showed the Colombian diva in vocal prime: a performer who knew exactly what she wanted, refusing to compromise her vision. While hearing her Spanish-language standards with her tight band is a thrill, it's the Arabian-influenced closing number, "Ojos Así" (later recorded in English as "Eyes Like Yours" for "Laundry Service"), that showed the depth of her artistry, with group-chant choruses, a tabla breakdown and her voice swinging wildly from husky whisper to full-throated roar. It's everything we've ever loved about Shakira condensed into one perfect number.

The legacy of "MTV Unplugged" lives and dies by its most iconic taping, wherein Nirvana showed up and almost out of obligation recorded an acoustic set for the increasingly massive cultural powerhouse that was MTV. The band could have phoned it in, but instead, many view it as Kurt Cobain's last true legacy and testament to the world, aided by his array of deep-cut covers. While Cobain always celebrated the underground (as evidenced by his choice Vaselines' cover here), his perfectly imperfect take on David Bowie's "The Man Who Sold the World" makes for one hell of a swan song. Not every guitar note was perfect, nor did Kurt's voice touch on every desired note, but the passion and pain he pours into this rendition is palpable, emotional and longing. Viewed by some as a somewhat artistic suicide note, it's still one of Nirvana's finest recordings and one that solidified and preserved the reverence we have for "MTV Unplugged."